Attila
by A. A. Aaron
Summary: Hannibal and Clarice support Ardelia in tracking down a serial killer


Title: Attila  
  
Author: A. A. Aaron  
  
Timeline: A few weeks after the Chapter 102 scene at the Buenos Aires opera  
  
  
  
"Have you read this week's National Tattler?"  
  
"No, why?" she asked, inserting a bookmark and laying her book aside. "Don't tell me we're featured again. Or let me  
guess - there's been another Hannibal Lecter sighting, this time in some sleepy English village."  
  
"Not quite," said Lecter. "It seems that another serial killer has surfaced with a most interesting modus operandi. Take a look and see if anything strikes you."   
  
He passed the tabloid to Clarice who leaned back in her chair and started to read the article. Halfway through she glanced at Hannibal who remained passive. She finished reading and remarked, "A serial killer who partly skins his female victims after they are dead, who skins a different area of each victim's body, who leaves each body in a different river apparently chosen at random, the first victim's body weighted down so that it was the third one discovered - it looks like Jame Gumb is making a comeback."  
  
"Which is a rather remarkable performance for someone who is ten years dead."  
  
"Of course there are also differences between their em-ohs. The current victims were slim and attractive in life and were sexually assaulted. Not Jame Gumb's style. And judging by the Tattler's photographs, the skinned regions differ in shape and location on the body from Jame Gumb's work." She glanced at the article again. "Though with all the similarities, I'm surprised that the Tattler hasn't picked up on it yet."  
  
"They've probably been too busy investigating the sex angle to pay much attention to a coincidental resemblance to a ten year old closed case," Lecter commented.   
  
" 'Sex angle,' - sounds as if it might be a geometric figure - a hexagon maybe?"  
  
Lecter made a suitable retort and the conversation drifted to other subjects.  
  
  
  
  
During the following week, the news of the new serial killer on the loose was picked up by other newspapers and by television news media. The resemblance to the Jame Gumb (a.k.a. Buffalo Bill) killings was duly noted. The majority concluded that this was a copycat killer; several felt the similarities were coincidence; and one tabloid suggested that Jame Gumb had arisen from the dead. It outsold all its competitors. By popular acclaim, the Tattler had been giving titles to serial killers, and the new one was designated "Attila the Killer," (pronounced "Attila the Killah") for no perceptible reason.  
  
The FBI had been aware of the probable existence of a new serial killer ever since the third body was discovered. They had kept their investigation secret till the Tattler broke the story. The FBI then revealed that a task force had been formed to track down the killer. One of the names mentioned was that of Special Agent Ardelia Mapp. An FBI press release gave a reasonably complete report on the status of the investigation. Friends and relatives of the victims have been questioned but no significant leads have turned up. Five killings thus far have been attributed to Attila.  
  
"Of course, there will be a few details that are incorrect or missing," said Clarice. She had just showered after her daily run and was wrapped in a towel from armpits to half-way down her thighs. "Standard procedure to help weed out false confessions."  
  
Hannibal regarded her with a slight smile. "Do you ever miss any of your old life - the tracking down of lawbreakers?"  
  
"Well, I enjoyed tracking a certain cannibalistic serial killer, but I never got to capture him."  
  
"Perhaps never captive, my dear, but definitely captivated," said Lecter, to which Clarice responded by daintily sticking out her tongue.  
  
"Seriously though," continued Lecter, "you seem to be taking an inordinate interest in the Attila the Killer investigation. Do you regret not being part of it?"   
  
Clarice chose her words carefully before replying. "I have no regrets over the choice I made. If anything, it's turned out even more glorious than I ever could have imagined. I did enjoy the challenges of my former life - competing for the interagency pistol championship; tracking down Jame Gumb in time to rescue Catherine Martin; acing my techie training.   
But the crap I was handed far outweighed the good times. I'm happy to be retired from all that; to sit by the sidelines and watch the rookies take their turn."  
  
"I see," said Hannibal. "I had a special birthday present made up for you, but now that you're a retired old-timer I don't suppose you'll have much use for it."  
  
"Goody, Goody! Lemme see!"  
  
Lecter produced a tastefully wrapped package and presented it to Clarice. She opened it carefully and looked at the contents, then turned to Hannibal in surprise. "I never would have expected something like this."  
  
"Will Graham wanted one for The Tooth Fairy," said Hannibal. "So did Jack Crawford and yourself for Buffalo Bill. But now I was feeling a bit whimsical and felt you might like one for Attila the Killer."  
  
"Not even a quid for your quo, or is it the other way around?"  
  
"As I said, it's a present. No quid pro quo required."  
  
"Well," she said, giving him a lingering kiss, "I'm sure we'll be able to think of something."  
  
  
  
  
Ardelia Mapp found herself fully awake. There was someone in her bedroom. Cautiously she reached over for her gun on the end table. A familiar voice, but one she hadn't heard in years, spoke. "Don't shoot, please, Ardelia. It's only me."  
  
"Clarice? My God, it is you. What happened to you, baby? I've been worried sick." Ardelia set her gun aside and approached Clarice. They stood facing each other a little awkwardly. Then Ardelia smiled tentatively, and they fell into each other's arms exchanging bear hugs.   
  
"I'm so sorry, Delia. Leaving you not knowing what happened with me, whether I was alive or dead, was the hardest part of making my decision. But I couldn't put you in the position of our friendship being in conflict with your FBI duties. I did send you that note that I was fine, as soon as we were safely established in our new identities."  
  
"Then it really is true. I couldn't bring myself to believe it. You actually ran off with him. That doesn't sound like the Clarice Starling I knew. What did he do to you, girl?"  
  
"Well," said Clarice, "Dr. Lecter saved my life at the Muskrat Farm shootout. Of course, that was after I saved his. He got to know me better than else in the world, better than I knew myself. And I got to know him better than he knew himself. We were able to rid ourselves of our demons. There is no more threat to the public from 'Hannibal the Cannibal.' "   
  
"How about the threat to law enforcement officers who come after him for past offences?" asked Ardelia. She made no attempt to hide her cynicism.   
  
Clarice shrugged. "Dr. Lecter will hide if he can, fight if he must. He hasn't been turned into 'Saint Hannibal" by any means. But if they leave him alone, he will leave them alone."  
  
"You know as well as I that that's not how the system works. And how about you? Where would you stand if it came to a showdown between Dr. Lecter and the law enforcers?"  
  
"I'd do my damnedest to avoid such a showdown. I suppose I'd stand by my man, to coin a phrase, but I'm not going to speculate on hypothetical situations. Let's change the subject. Am I wanted by the FBI for any crime?"  
  
"Not to my knowledge, Honey," said Ardelia. "You're just listed as a Missing Person. I get the impression that you're an embarrassment to the Bureau and they'd be happy to see you remain missing."  
  
Clarice smiled wryly. "I might have expected that; but I guess that means I don't have to worry about being picked up on any charges as long as I keep my hands clean. By the way, I brought you a little present."  
  
Ardelia looked at the tastefully wrapped package. For a moment she remembered the last present she received from Clarice. After two years of frenzied searching for her missing friend she had received a note that Clarice was fine, together with an emerald ring engraved AM-CS. She had been prepared to toss the ring in the river but in the end put it on her finger.  
  
Ardelia opened the package. It contained a report. The report was labeled: A Psychological Profile of the Serial Killer Known as 'Attila the Killer' by Hannibal Lecter, M.D., Ph.D.  
  
"It's based on the information package presented to the media by the FBI, plus the information that the media dug up by themselves. You're on the Attila Task Force so I thought you'd like the pleasure of bringing it in. I suppose you have some questions."  
  
"You know it, Kiddo," said Ardelia. "First of all, I assume this is genuine and not some joke."  
  
Clarice was hurt. "It's real. We wouldn't be so rude as to make a stupid joke out of something like this. Dr. Lecter is laying his reputation on the line with this evaluation. Incidentally, in case any of your colleagues questions whether the report really is from Dr. Lecter, you'll find it's covered with his finger prints."  
  
What makes you think we'd want this report?"  
  
"Jack Crawford and Will Graham tried to get one on the Tooth Fairy. Crawford and I tried to get one on Buffalo Bill. I assumed you'd be pleased to get one on Attila the Killer but I'm not going to force it on you."  
  
"Don't be mad, Babe," said Ardelia. "I'm just trying to figure out the catch. What are you expecting to get for this?"  
  
"Not a thing." Said Clarice. Her West Virginia accent became a little more apparent. "I declare, you've become awfully suspicious in your old age. Hannibal did it as a present for me. I'm making it a present to you. I don't give a shit for the FBI, but I disapprove of Attila's actions. I'll be happy to play a part in putting him away."  
  
Ardelia opened the report and turned several pages, skimming the contents. "It's going to get pretty hectic tomorrow when I turn this in to the Bureau. I better spend an hour or so familiarizing myself with it." She looked up at Clarice. "Care to give me a quick overview of the report's conclusions?"  
  
"Sure," said Clarice. "The main conclusion is that Attila the Killer is not insane. He is ruthless, but till the current murder spree he has been law abiding simply to avoid possible imprisonment if caught. He has no compulsion to kill but has no moral objection to it if he considers the risk of being caught and punished as acceptable. Unlike Buffalo Bill, everything Attila does is for reasons that we would accept as rational. This includes his reasons for partly copying the Buffalo Bill em-oh - killing his female victim; removing an area of skin, a different area for each victim; disposing of the body in a river, the first victim's body weighted down; the randomness of the kidnapping locations and the victims' disposal locations. It also includes his reasons for deviating from the Buffalo Bill killings. Unlike the Buffalo Bill murders, in the current series the victims are young, attractive women; they are sexually assaulted; the removed skin areas have shapes and locations on the body which differ from those in the previous series."  
  
Ardelia sat quietly absorbing this, then said, "This is very interesting. Does Dr. Lecter offer any suggestions on how we can utilize this profile to capture Attila?"  
  
Clarice was a little embarrassed. "Dr. Lecter says we have all the information we need to track down Attila. I tried to persuade him to give us a little more guidance, that there would be more victims if we delayed. He got very huffy. You wouldn't like to be around Dr. Lecter when he gets huffy. I think we better just accept what we have." Clarice glanced at her watch and said, "I'd better get going now."  
  
"Wait," said Ardelia. "Will you be coming back? We have three years of catching up to do."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be back before I disappear again. I just want to make sure no one uses me to track down Dr. Lecter." She stepped silently into the waiting shadows and was gone.   
  
  
  
  
The Lecter Report caused a mild sensation the following day among the FBI's Attila Task Force personnel. There were those who had an almost legendary recollection of the Lecter/Starling collaboration in the Buffalo Bill case and accepted any new offering from the pair as gospel. There were also those who considered Behavioral Sciences as hogwash, and would as soon accept guidance from psychics as from psychos. Ardelia Mapp was assigned the task of applying the report toward the achievement of the Task Force mission of bringing Attila the Killer to justice. She organized a brainstorming session at which the Task Force members offered suggestions on what to do with the Lecter Report. Ignoring the more scatological suggestions, the consensus was that the report might serve to narrow down the number of suspects when the investigation reached that stage.  
  
Ardelia arrived home after putting in a twelve-hour day, to find a pair of visitors waiting for her inside; Clarice Starling and a maroon-eyed gentleman wearing an obviously false bushy beard and handlebar mustache. Priding herself on keeping her voice steady, Ardelia said, "Dr. Lecter, I presume. Love the shrubbery."  
  
Hannibal Lecter bowed his head slightly. "Special Agent Mapp. How nice finally to meet you. Please forgive my rudeness in coming here uninvited, but I'm sure you understand."   
  
"Certainly, Dr. Lecter. And please feel free to call me Ardelia."  
  
Clarice was somewhat surprised, but certainly pleased by the courtesy exhibited by both of her friends. She joined in, "Delia, Dr. Lecter and I had a little talk today and we agreed that he won the game. If you're still interested, he is willing to explain how the information in his report can be used to capture Attila. I'll be hearing it for the first time too."   
  
Ardelia assured them of her intense interest. Clarice turned to Dr. Lecter. "It's all yours, dear. Dazzle us with your Hercule Poirot impression."   
  
Dr. Lecter began with a quotation from Marcus Aurelius. "Oh, Lordy," said Ardelia, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry, he'll get to it," said Clarice to Ardelia in a loud whisper. Dr. Lecter glared at Clarice and continued.   
  
"What is it that Attila does?" He looked at them expectantly.   
  
Clarice shrugged. "He murders women?" she suggested.  
  
"Wrong!" said Dr. Lecter, emphatically. "Remember 'Simplicity.' The first thing that Attila does is survive. This seems trivial but has significant consequences. What could drive such a person to commit his first murder? Passion? No. All his actions are rational. Monetary gain? No. No gain would be worth the risk of being caught. What then? Survival! Preservation of life and of liberty. And what would be the greatest threat to his survival? Conviction of murder."  
  
"Whoa!" said Ardelia. "Let's back up a minute. You're saying that he would commit murder to avoid being convicted of murder? That makes no sense. You're going around in circles."  
  
"Wrong!" said Dr. Lecter. ("If he says that one more time, I swear I'm gonna throw a banana at him," muttered Ardelia. "Shush," whispered Clarice). Dr. Lecter continued, "Suppose we consider the following scenario and see if it fits the facts of the case and the profile of the killer":  
  
"Attila and his lover are into consensual rough sex. They are keeping their involvement with each other private. At one particularly intense session something goes wrong and she dies. It was clearly unintentional - an accident - but he knows that juries frown on kinky sex and would probably find him guilty of some level of homicide, punishable by a long prison sentence. What to do? He recalls that they have been discrete and no one knows of their involvement. They were meeting in an isolated region. He can load the body into his car or truck, drive the thirty miles or whatever to an isolated location along the river bank, weigh down the body to delay discovery, and dump the body in the river. But wait; there is something on the body that can be traced to him. No problem. He can cut off a section of skin that includes the incriminating item. But wouldn't that just draw attention to the missing section of skin? He begins to consider a series of murders to conceal the first death. The infamous Buffalo Bill serial killings come to his mind. He will copy their em-ohs as closely as feasible. However, to match his late lover, the victims would be young. attractive women. To match whatever traces of rough sex remain on his lover's body, he will sexually abuse his victims.   
  
"The question for us remains: What was on the removed skin section that could implicate Attila? The most logical item is a tattoo. It could identify him directly, such as his name in a heart; or indirectly, such as matching unusual tattoos on both of them. The first death, which was accidental, was the third body discovered. It is the one that would have had the tattoo. From the FBI handout, we learn the body region where the skin was removed from the first victim - it happens to be the right hip.   
  
"I could go on with how this scenario could be used to track down Attila by questioning all tattoo artists in the area; but that is something I don't have to spell out for the FBI; they are much more skilled at that sort of thing than I am."  
  
There was a pause as Dr. Lecter completed his presentation. Then Clarice and Ardelia burst into applause. "That'll show them," Clarice called out. It is not clear whom she meant by 'them.'  
  
  
  
Dr. Lecter had made his presentation extemporaneously. Clarice and Ardelia urged him to present it formally. He grumbled but Clarice suspected he was secretly pleased. He decided to present it as a supplement to his earlier report:  
  
Supplement: Application to the Apprehension of 'Attila the Killer'  
  
Dr. Lecter dictated while Ardelia typed it on her Word Processor. He took one minute to plan his supplemental report and then spoke smoothly without hesitations or corrections. They were finished in half an hour. Ardelia printed out several copies for distribution to the Attila Task Force.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Ardelia arrived at work to find a celebration in progress. She cornered one of her friends, Alyssa Benning, and asked, "What's up?"  
  
"Great news." Benning told her. "We've captured Attila the Killer. A tattoo parlor operator bought a copy of last week's Tattler, the one that had all those pictures of Attila's victims before and after they were killed. He recognized one of the victims, Amanda Monroe, the third one found. Amanda's friends and relatives had been questioned earlier and none had known about her having any special boyfriend but evidently there was one. Amanda and her boyfriend had gotten identical tattoos the day before she disappeared, a small red dragon on the right hip. The boyfriend had paid for both by credit card, and the tattoo artist had a copy of the receipt. The boyfriend was picked up last night and confessed to being Attila.  
  
"The best part is that he led us to a remote cabin where we found a young woman bound and gagged. She's a college junior named Sherry Eastburn whom he had abducted earlier that day to be his next victim. She had not yet been reported missing. She was terrified but unharmed physically. However, if we had been an hour later in going to pick him up, he would already have left for the cabin where he would have begun to rape and murder her.  
  
"The whole story is in today's Tattler. They managed to get the issue out in time to beat the regular dailies." Benning   
gestured toward four or five copies of the Tattler on a table. The front page headlines read:   
  
ATTILA CAUGHT!  
  
Tattler Aids FBI in Capture  
of Serial Killer!  
  
I was Attila's sex slave   
says beautiful co-ed!  
  
  
  
Assistant Director Noonan had wandered over and now remarked, "So now the tattoo artist gets a hefty reward, the Tattler gets a shot at a Pulitzer Prize, Sherry what's-her-name is rescued in time, the Bureau comes out smelling like a rose, and the public is saved from another serial killer. It's a win-win situation for everybody." He tuned to Ardelia and said, "Well, Agent Mapp, it looks as though we won't be using Lecter's Report after all. It's just as well. It's okay as theory but you can't get much practical use out of it. As far as I'm concerned, it's the established investigative techniques that will solve crimes.  
  
"Now that Attila's taken care of, we can get back to tracking down Hannibal Lecter. We may be close to getting him now. There's word that he's been spotted in an English village, Little Storping."  
  
Noonan wandered off. 'Lots of luck' thought Ardelia as she dumped Lecter's Supplementary Report in the shredder.  
  
  
  
A week later, Ardelia, having arranged for a spur-of-the moment vacation, was sitting with Clarice and Hannibal in an outdoor café in Buenos Aires. She glanced at Clarice who was holding Hannibal's thumb and smiling softly. "Tell me, Clare; now that it's over, what made you decide to go after Attila?"  
  
"I guess I was waxing a little nostalgic," said Clarice. Hannibal remarked that the little nostalgics were harder to wax than the big ones. Clarice groaned and continued, "I was thinking of the search for Buffalo Bill as the 'good old days,' when I was doing the kind of work I loved and when nothing could stop me from reaching the top. Even though I was now out of the game, I felt that going after Attila would bring back that excitement."   
  
Ardelia turned to Hannibal. "Same question. What made you go after Attila?"  
  
He shrugged. "He was rude, and I knew it would please Clarice."   
  
Ardelia considered for a moment, then said, "Clare, you were the catalyst that caused Hannibal's report to become available to the FBI. However, you didn't have the opportunity to play any role in the investigation, which is what you were really after. And Hannibal, you turned out a brilliant analysis which would have crowned your fame, but which will never be used. How do you two feel about that?"  
  
Clarice looked at Hannibal. "I feel pretty good. How about you?"  
  
Hannibal said, "I feel pretty good too."  
  
They both looked at Ardelia who said, "Okay, I guess I feel pretty good also; although I may have to explain to the Bureau why I didn't apprehend Hannibal the Cannibal when I had the chance."  
  
Hannibal said, "Surely you couldn't have been expected to overpower me, one whose 'strength is as the strength of ten because his heart is pure.' "  
  
"Yeah, right. Thank you, Sir Galahad," said Ardelia.  
  
The three of them smiled and sipped their coffees, as they sat and admired the sunset.  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
